Update: Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet has extended lockdown till 30th April across Pakistan.
Amidst the coronavirus mayhem, the country is facing severe repercussions in the face of hunger, unemployment, and suffering of a common man in Pakistan. The state of uncertainty has further brought miseries for the labour class who are unable to make their both ends meet. An important meeting will be chaired by PM Imran Khan to take further decision on lockdown.
As government extended the ongoing lockdown till April 14, therefore to decide whether it will be carried further or not, Prime Minister Imran Khan will chair a meeting comprised of the Federal Cabinet members today to discuss the situation arising out of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah is now speaking all points which Imran Khan and All federal government team has been saying since 3 weeks !
It's time to ACT together !
Plan and Do …. khuda may wastay CM Sahab.— •Sidra Imran• (@imran_sidra) April 13, 2020
The meeting will also discuss the future course of action, including a possible easing of the lockdown and the provision of medical supplies to provinces. Other items on the cabinet’s agenda include the approval of decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the National Coordination Committee (NCC) regarding measures to tackle the current pandemic and to endorse the decisions made by Cabinet Committee on legislative cases.
Read more: Lockdown: Middle class to fight hunger and malnutrition
According to sources, Imran Khan has agreed with the CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah’s suggestion to extend the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.
According to sources, the Federal Cabinet will also discuss the issue of raising allowances of EOBI pensioners and approve the decision to hand over the management of Islamabad’s Murghzar Zoo to the Wildlife Management Board.
Important meeting of NCOC to be held today
An important meeting of the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) will also be held in Islamabad today to take major decisions, including the extension of lockdown in the country.
In his daily media briefing to the media on Monday, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar had said the meeting would make decisions regarding the ongoing lockdown in the country.
In his press conference on Monday evening on April 13, the minister Asad Umar reiterated that the federal government will decide whether the lockdown should be imposed or not to contain coronavirus in the country after coordination committee on April 14.
Read more: Did General Muhammad Afzal yell at CM Murad Ali Shah during NCC meeting?
Moreover, Asad Umar maintained to say that the government will take all decisions with the consensus of all stakeholders, adding that, the employees working in the organisations is the responsibility of respective employer companies to ensure their health safety.
Govt distributes Rs 28.5bn in a week
In his press conference, Asad Umar said that the government has distributed Rs 28.5 billion among more than 2.3 million beneficiaries during the first five days of Ehsaas Emergency Relief Programme.
Moreover, in his tweet, Asad Umar further said on Monday that the scale of this relief programme for the most vulnerable Pakistanis in these most difficult times had no precedent in the country’s history.